The Green Mage
by DoctorMerlinReid
Summary: Briar becomes immortal because of the works gone wrong of Necropolis. What happens when they want that immortality back? What happens when they want it back and it's 2015? After thousands of years, Briar finally ends up confronting his enemies again, but without his sisters, can he win?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey, I just got this idea and decided why not? I love this whole series and truthfully, adore anything by Tamora Pierce. So pretty, pretty, extra pretty please with, like twenty cherries on top review! Hope you enjoy!**

**Warning: If this contains spoilers, it will contain spoilers for every book in the Circle of Magic, the Circle Opens, **_**and**_** the Circle Reforged. Just so you know.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the aforementioned series or anything else by Tamora Pierce and I gain no monetary profit from this story. This is a standard disclaimer and will not be repeated throughout the story.**

The four foster siblings searched each other's faces warily before opening the door and stepping into the old, worn-out house. Their powers coiled in their blood, waiting to be set free.

When, earlier that day, the four had received the news, they had been sick with shock. A messenger had come to their house on Cheeseman Street. He couldn't say who the person who sent it was and he warned them that it had already been gone over with magic so it couldn't be traced that way either. Then the man left, leaving the four to open it on their own.

The letter read:

_Dear Briar, Daja, Sandry, and Tris,_

_We will waste no time on formalities. We have taken prisoner some people who may be important to you. Namely: Rosethorn, Lark, Niklaren, Glaki, Pasco, Frostpine, Evumeimei, and Luvo. If you wish to see them alive again, you will come, with your mage kits, to the address given below. _

_Sincerely,_

_Necropolis_

_PS: Do not try to bring others along with you unless you wish for them and your friends to die. Farewell!_

Briar had absolutely shaken with rage. Every plant in the house and in the garden visible through a window in the kitchen grew thorns and became ten times its original size. For a moment, the girls were terrified of him. It was a prime example of why you do not mess with a green mage. But then he had gotten control over his emotions and the plants had shrunken and become less threatening.

The girls were more calm and collected, but then, they didn't have the same fear in them that could only come from a war. Tris went and got Briar his _shakkan _and mage kit while Daja and Sandry got their own. They immediately set off to the address. There was no discussing this. They didn't need to.

Then they had walked inside the building together. They saw no one, but continued to walk forward. There was no way that they would hesitate. Daja spoke through their mind link, _Why do you think they had us bring our mage kits?_

Sandry answered, _Perhaps they want us to do something mage related for them._

Briar shook his mental head and said, _Nah, that can't be it. Think of everyone they took captive. I know that maybe they could take one or two of them without a mage, but all of them? They need some pretty powerful mages to take them all. Especially Luvo. I've no idea how they got him._

Tris was thinking on a different track, _Has anyone heard of Necropolis? I know it means a city of the dead, but I haven't heard of a group called that._

Briar smiled and teased, _You're all Miss Education over there aren't you? You don't even need to go to Lightsbridge; you're already smarter than all of them._

Tris huffed, but offered a slight smile while the other two watched them in fond amusement. A moment later, they reached the end of the hallway they had been travelling. A door stood just slightly ajar in front of them. Once again, they didn't need words as Daja pushed it open and Sandry led the way in, considerably small nose held high.

In the room, it was quite large; there was a cage off to the corner with their loved ones leaning against each other, eyes closed and still as death. For a moment, Sandry cried out and tried to run towards them, only to have Daja pull her back. Tris whispered through their connection, _They're alive, Sandry!_

The center of the room was dominated by a huge circle that looked almost like a dining room. It had four pentagon shaped objects seated equidistant from each other. The four looked at each other unsurely. What was going on?

In the back of the room was what they could only assume was Necropolis. They all wore (surprise, surprise) black robes that made them look almost like priests of Yorgiry, the Namorn goddess of death. One of them, who had a white sash tied about their waist, spoke, "Sandry, Daja, Tris, and Briar. I will admit, you came sooner than we expected you to. Do not try any tricks. The second something seems out of place, the mages will kill your friends." He gestured behind him at a small group with yellow sashes.

Briar spoke to them mind to mind, _That was his first mistake, letting us know who to aim for first._ Daja grinned back at him, showing teeth. The head guy was speaking again, "Do as we say and you and your friends will be freed. Of course, your friends will not awaken until they are safely deposited at Discipline. Now, sit."

The four obeyed without hesitation or words. They would not risk their friends and beside, they were already busy making plans. Now a woman stepped forwards and started the back story/instructions:

"The four of you represent something that has happened only once before, but will never happen again. The stars have said so. You are four people, with completely different magic, who came together and _weaved _your power together. Then you weaved it back apart again, but still, you retained some of each other's magic. You are stronger, smarter, and braver than any other group of mages. You are truly, a circle of magic.

"When, long ago, that original group of people had come together, they sought to learn about their powers. Fortunately for them, there was another group who was as… interested in their powers as they were. Thus Necropolis was born. We took these four in and we tested them. In that manner, we learned a lot about them. We also learned what their power can do.

"Unfortunately, we need your power, but we do not need you. In this… shall we say exercise; you will give your power to us. Now we will begin. Place your most prized possession of your mage kit onto the center of the pentagon."

The four siblings looked at each other and started to put their items onto the center even while Sandry cried in their heads and Briar thought, _Let them try and take my magic from me. They don't even understand ambient magic, do they? Our magic comes from around us, not within us. Well, a little bit within us, but you know._ Briar pulled out his _shakkan_, while Sandry got out her favorite spindle and Tris pulled a globe of lightning from her hair. Daja put the cap of her trader staff into her center.

"Good," the original speaker began, "Next you are to put five other things from your mage kit, - they have to be different remember -, on each of the corners of the pentagon."

Daja put a hammer, an anvil, a coil of wire, a chunk of gold, and a piece of woven metal on her pentagon. Tris put an earthquake, a wave, a wind, a hurricane, and a tornado into her corners. Sandry put some thread, a piece of silk, a needle, a carder, and some cotton. Briar put down a bead from a Yanjingyi mage, a pruner, a potion, a small flower, and one of his special seed balls.

White Sash Guy, as Briar had taken to referencing him in his mind, nodded his approval and spoke again, "Good. Your part is over. Now you just need to sit still and wait."

Briar asked, seemingly innocent, "Well, sir, if our part is over, doesn't that mean that we are done and since we are done, we don't have to do what you say anymore?" White Sash Guy came around the table and smashed his fist into the back of Briar's head. The others began to rise, but a buzz as a field of yellow light closed in on their loved ones stopped them.

Briar lifted his head from where it had hit the table, showing a small gash on his forehead. In response to silent questions, he said, _I'm alright. That guy is stronger than he looks. I have one of my special seed balls on the table. Tell me when and I'll let it loose. It will aim for the mages first and then the others afterwards. Of course, it will leave you guys alone. _The others smiled reassuringly at him. They were ready. They just had to wait for the right moment.

While this was going on, White Sash Guy and Story Lady (the one who had given the back story/instructions) had been talking quietly to the mages. Then the mages started to chant. The sound was eerie and filled the room as if a thousand people were talking, but there was really only about twenty. They had reached an apex with their chanting when all three girls yelled, _NOW!_ at Briar.

Briar's magic convinced the seeds to grow super fast and in the direction of the mages. He convinced them that it would be fun to wrap around the mages and then suddenly sprout millions of miniscule thorns. Sandry and Daja were using their powers to wrap jewelry and clothes around itself on the non-mages. Tris stood facing the cage, her arms raised as wind poured around her to attack the locks and sides of the thing.

No one noticed when Briar went ridged and fell to the floor, but they noticed when he screamed. By that time, Tris had gotten the lock to come off of the cage and Sandry and Daja had incapacitated all of Necropolis. The mages were slumped in a corner, obviously drained from their spell.

As the three foster sisters ran towards Briar, White Sash Guy screamed in anger, "No! _No!_ He can't! That was supposed to be ours! It's ours!"

Sandry stormed at him, "What did you do?!"

White Sash Guy sniveled on the floor in front of her, powerless to do anything, "_We_ didn't do anything! He took our spell! It was ours! Ours!"

_He's obviously more than a little sick in the head. Why don't you ask Story Lady what happened? She seems more likely to give you the… story I guess._ Daja suggested from where she was throwing withering glares at whoever dared look at her. She had already sent Tris to go try to wake the others up.

Sandry moved to tower over Story Lady, "What is happening to him? What did he 'take'?"

Story Lady lifted her head high and said, "He took what Necropolis has been waiting _centuries_ to get. That spell would have granted immortality, to a point, to anyone who the spell bearers wished it to. Now he took it. He has become immortal, again, to a point."

Daja gasped and the three girls drew the Living Circle sign over their hearts. Tris growled from above the limp forms of their friends, "What does 'to a point' mean, exactly?"

Story Lady sniffed as if they were disdainful before continuing, "It means that while he will not grow older, nor get sick, nor be able to kill himself, he can still be killed by other's hands. He has immunity to most poisons, however."

It was at this time that Briar chose to open his eyes. He had heard the last two sentences and asked groggily, "Who? What's going on?"

Daja sniffled and answered just as Tris woke the others up, "You, Briar. You're immortal now. You can't die unless killed by another."

Briar's eyes grew wide as he realized that he was the only one who was immortal. Despite what most people think, Briar isn't as much of a hedonist as is rumored. He didn't want to live forever. He wanted to die when his sisters died, when his family died. He didn't want to be alone! He hadn't realized that he was saying these things out loud until Rosethorn put her hand on his shoulder and said, "I know, my boy. I know."

Briar cried into her shoulder. He didn't care that everyone could see him, he just wanted Rosethorn to be the mother he lost when he was four and regained when he was ten. Then it hit him that he would have to watch _Rosethorn_ die and he cried even harder. Rosethorn just held him in her arms as a few tears streaked down her face as well.

Eventually, Briar wore himself out and fell asleep, as did the other three. That spell had taken a great drain on their powers. Their teachers put their things into their kits (aside from Tris. Niko had just taken the whole pentagon shaped plate with him), and they carried the four home, letting Lark run and tell Dedicate Superior Moonstream what had just occurred.

Two days later, Briar woke up to the sound of temple bells. For about five minutes, he panicked, hearing not the sounds of bells calling people to prayer, but the sounds of bells calling people to battle. He could smell death and fear. He could see the piles of dead surround him. He was suffocating, choking, and they wouldn't go away.

That's when Sandry, Daja, Tris, and Rosethorn ran in. Rosethorn pulled Briar into a hug and Briar blocked out his sisters in his minds. No matter what, he still didn't want them in his head when he was like this. Evvy came in with Luvo in her arms. The four of them, Rosethorn, Briar, Luvo, and Evvy, clung to each other for a moment before letting go. For Briar, the smell and sounds of death were receding. They never really left, but it was close enough.

"Are you alright? Is everything okay? Can I do anything to help?" Sandry was coddling him again.

"No, Sandry. I'm fine thank you. Girls! All they want to do is yatter about boo-hoo stuff, right Luvo?"

Luvo stared impassively at Briar, "I have not had enough sampling of boys compared to girls to get a clear understanding of the difference, Briar."

Briar looked at the girls surrounding him and said, "See? Luvo agrees."

Sandry laughed and after a moment, so did Evvy, Daja, and Tris. Rosethorn smiled at him and asked, "Do you feel well enough to walk? The others are in the living room."

Her smile faltered when his did. He whispered, "I don't know how long I can stay at Winding Circle. You know I can't stay for more than an hour or two." Sandry again looked close to tears, but this time Daja and even Tris were tearing up.

"I know. Hopefully we won't be too long." Rosethorn smiled and led Briar to the living room, clutching his arm protectively.

They talked for about an hour, eventually getting used to the idea that Briar was immortal and they worked through it like they always did. When the four returned to Cheeseman Street, they were content again.

And so the long years passed and everyone besides Briar grew up. In his sisters' life times, Necropolis attacked twice more, assuming that they could somehow take the immortality from Briar.

When all of his friends and family from Winding Circle resided no more in the land of the living, he moved away. He would change location every two to three years to keep Necropolis off of his trail. He made sure he always knew where they were and what they were doing so he could stay away from them.

He had plenty of money. When he still lived in Emelan, he sold as many things as he could and made things constantly in preparation for his long life. He would never stop selling and making things, but there might come a time when that wasn't enough.

Luckily for him, however, all of the money from most of his friends, along with their belongings and their estates, came to him at their deaths. Tris was too busy with lightning for a husband and didn't like her family. Lark and Rosethorn, Daja, and Rizu (who had finally gotten it through her thick skull that she belonged with Daja and not with the Empress, much to the joy of Daja and the amusement of her siblings) all were unable to have children and had little to no family. Sandry and Evvy both never found 'the right man' and had no heirs for their money.

That is how he came to be gardening in his house, thousands of years later, at 1750 Sunny Brook Drive, Cumming, Georgia at the age (technically) of eighteen.

**Author's Note: I do not think that 1750 Sunny Brook Drive, Cumming, Georgia is a real place, but it might be. The address just came out of my head, so sorry if it is real.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I updated, but not a lot of people are reading this story in comparison to my other stories (meaning 30 something readers to 4,000 something readers). Nonetheless, I will not abandon it and I hope that you read, review, and enjoy!**

BBBBBB

Briar frowned at the orchid that had somehow managed to pop up behind his hyacinths. In response to his silent rebuke, the orchid shrunk back and threw more flowers out as if that would help him appreciate them. Even after all these years he still did not like orchids. They were no more than weeds and they polluted his beautiful garden.

As he moved towards the plant with the intent of pulling it out and throwing it into his compost pile, it started to cry out in his mind, begging him to let it grow and flourish. Eventually he stopped and stood back up, growling at it, "Fine! I'll let you live, just not in my garden. I'll put you in a pot and give you to one of the neighbors. Maybe they'll like you." He could feel the gratitude flowing off of the orchid and rolled his eyes in response. Honestly, some plants were just so needy.

Just as he made it out of the house with a pot, a gust of wind blew some conversation over to him:

"He's always gardening! I mean, he spends some time indoors, but ninety percent of the time, he's outside with his plants." He recognized that voice as a teenage girl who lived up the street with her six siblings. Her name was Persephone, but she often went by Percy.

"He has _such_ a _gorgeous_ garden, though, doesn't he?" That would be one of her slightly younger sisters, named Cassandra. She went by Cass. That family had something with nicknames.

"He does. What high school does he go to?" This voice was new. It was soft and quiet and strong. He supposed that she was one of Percy's friends, or even one of Cass's.

"Ha! He doesn't go to _any _high school. He's been here for two years now and says that he's eighteen. I heard that he dropped out of school right away when he's sixteen. I always wondered why his parents would let him out when all he does is garden." This voice he knew as Tracey (aka Cece), the resident popular girl who thought she was everything.

Cass responded with, "I'm not complaining. A good-looking, muscular man outside where you can see him surrounded by beautiful flowers? I take that as a good thing, personally."

He heard the sound of someone bumping their shoulders against hers and then Percy said, "That's just because you've got a major crush on him!"

"So? I'm only two years younger than him! It's perfectly reasonable for me to have a crush on him." Cass pouted back.

Briar heard musical laughter that he didn't recognize just before the new girl answered, "Then why don't you just ask him out?"

"Thank you!" Cass began, "One of the few people on this earth who don't treat me like a five year old." Briar's lips turned up at the edges. That was an argument that he had heard often between Cass and Percy.

The new girl laughed again and said, "The three of us are only a year older than you. Why would we treat you like a five year old?" That's interesting to know. The new girl must be Percy's friend then because the girl only hung with people her own age.

The wind died down and he missed the rest of the conversation. As his sisters grew older, their powers had grown weaker. He was always confused about that until they finally told him what they had done. They had found Niko and had him teach them a spell that would slowly transfer their power over to him. He would never achieve the same level as them, but they were all great mages, so he was still pretty powerful. That was how his hearing and seeing on the wind had become easier and more prevalent.

Briar was brought from his train of thoughts when Percy and Cass's mother slowed her car down in front of Briar's house. Her name was Andromeda (nickname Andie) Olympia. She was tall and willowy with intelligent green eyes and long, straight blonde hair. She was tan and toned and looked incredibly similar to her daughters. Briar had always sworn that the girl children got all their mother's DNA and the boy children got all their father's DNA. Andie smiled and waved to Briar, asking, "You gonna bring some of your garden inside too?"

The green mage grimaced and said, "Not this plant, no. I'm planning on giving it to one of the neighbors as a gift. You happen to know anyone who could use a new plant?" Briar was famous for the amount of plants he gave out, namely his _shakkans_.

Andie pursed her lips. Then her eyes lit up and she said, "There're some new neighbors who live right next door to us, so about three houses down from you. It's a mom and her daughter living there. I'm sure they could use one of your welcoming baskets. What do you have against orchids by the way?"

He shuddered and said, "Don't even get me started on _that_, but how did I not know there were new neighbors? I don't even have most of the stuff I need for a basket! I'm going to have to start baking right away if I want to give it to them at a reasonable hour. I-,"

Briar was cut off by Andie's contagious laugh. She was one of the few people who knew that he didn't have any parents and was just living by himself. She had agreed to keep it a secret. Andie smiled and said, "Don't wear yourself out, sweetie. There's plenty of time for you to do everything you need to do. Just finish your gardening and then start working on the basket, alright?"

Briar smiled back and said, "Alright Andie. I'll see you tomorrow at the barbeque. Are you inviting the newbies?"

Her smile died instantly and she said, "Oh gosh! I completely forgot to invite them! Should I make a formal invitation, or just go and invite them? I don't think I have enough card stock left. It-,"

This time she was interrupted by Briar saying mockingly, "Don't wear yourself out, sweetie."

Her lips curled back into a smile and she shook her head at him, laughing as she waved goodbye. She closed the window back up and drove away, likely still debating the invitation dilemma.

Andie had given him good advice, though. He would finish his gardening, aided by a tiny bit of magic. He didn't use it to garden that often, choosing instead to remain incognito, but sometimes he needed to get it done fast and that needed magic.

BBBBBB

Fifteen minutes of gardening, three batches of cookies, two failed baskets, one shopping trip, and several flying ribbon bundles later, Briar was walking up to the front door of the newbies. He always got nervous when someone new moved into the neighborhood. He blamed it on several Necropolis members moving into one of the subdivisions he had lived in a while back. _That_ had been awkward. Briar took a deep breath and firmly knocked on the door.

It opened to reveal a short, yet butch woman with unruly brown hair snagged in a bun. Briar smiled uncertainly at her and held out a hand, the other one still gripping the basket, "Hi, I'm Briar Moss. I live a few houses down the street and just heard that you had moved in here. I brought this welcome basket to… well, to welcome you… and yeah." He trailed off awkwardly and just grinned at her. Inwardly, he sighed. He used to be pretty good with people, especially women. Not anymore.

The woman smiled back and shook his hand, waving him in and bustling him towards the kitchen, calling upstairs as she went, "Susannah! Come down here! We have a guest!"

Briar couldn't help thinking about how much this woman reminded him of Lark. He knew that it was considered 'unhealthy' to compare people who had passed to people you meet. Then Susannah ran lightly down the stairs and into the kitchen. She was petite and elf-like with brown hair that was right in the middle of wavy and curly and cascaded down her back. She had pale skin with large powder grey eyes accented by a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and her shaped cheekbones. In other words, she was beautiful.

The mage was distracted from his staring by her mother talking to him, "This neighborhood is just so nice. I think it'll be a good change from some of the other neighborhoods we've lived in. Everyone here is just so friendly. Our next doors neighbors, the Olympias – what a strange last name – they invited us to a barbeque tomorrow. I'll have to cook something up real quick or go buy something if I don't have enough time. Now here you are, bringing us a welcome basket. Did you see that Susannah? Mr. Moss here brought us a welcome basket!"

Briar laughed shyly and said, "You can call me Briar and really, it wasn't that big of a deal."

Susannah's lips opened in a perfect 'o' and she looked at him again. He smiled at her and she smiled back, "I'm sure Mom hasn't introduced us. We're Susannah and Edith D'andria. It's nice to meet you. Um, I heard that you like to garden."

The instant she said that, Briar recognized her voice as the one that had been talking with Percy, Cass, and Cece. He ducked his head in acknowledgement and said, "Yeah, you'll be getting a lot of plants from me if you stick around."

Her and her mother laughed their musical laugh and he smiled to them. There was a momentary silence before Briar asked, "So you said that Andie asked you to the BBQ tomorrow, right? Are you going?"

"Most definitely!" Edith enthused, "I always believe in going to neighborhood parties. It really brings everyone together as a group. It's especially good when we just moved here because then we can meet everyone all at once. This seems like a really nice neighborhood. Do you like it here? How long have you been here?"

Briar nodded, "I love it here. Like you mentioned, everybody is really friendly and the soil is great for practically every plant. I've been here for about two years now."

Edith nodded and hustled around the kitchen, putting things away and on counter tops from Briar's basket, "Wow, yeah. Do you have any siblings? How about your parents? Are they going to be at the barbeque tomorrow?"

For a second, Briar had to think through her words. The woman talked faster than Sandry when she was excited. The mage eventually answered, "I had some foster sisters, but we ended up moving to different places. My parents won't be at the barbeque. They're very rarely home and then for just a day or so. They're foster parents; one of them is Lark. She's a member of a traveling acrobatics group. The other one is Rosethorn; she's a plant person like me, but she travels with Lark as a manager and doctor. They don't like to bring me along because they believe that children should be stationary as they grow up and start moving around when they're older and more mature."

Susannah's mother laughed nervously and said, "Oh, so you're parents are a… a lesbian couple then, huh?"

Briar winced as he remembered that most people were uncomfortable with that. He didn't understand why when it occurred so often in history, but he chose to ignore it, saying instead, "Yeah. Where they came from, it's a pretty normal thing."

Susannah frowned and Briar could tell that she was planning on asking something about where they came from, but luckily Edith butted in with, "Well, alright then! So, where are you going to school? Susannah's going to school at Adams High."

"Oh," Briar began, unsure how this woman was managing to ask all the questions that required him to give sort-of-truths-but-kind-of-lies, "I don't go to school. I had a home school type thing. Lark and Rosethorn had some friends: Frostpine and Niklaren and the four of them split our teaching up, each of them teaching different subjects and each focusing mainly on a particular student. We had an interesting life growing up." The great, all-powerful mage rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort.

"Wow!" Susannah called out, "That's super cool! Other people say that you dropped out of school for some reason. Ow!" She added that when her mother wacked her upside the head with a wooden spoon that had been lying nearby.

Briar laughed at Susannah's pouting face and Edith's stern one and said, "Thank you for the conversation, but I have to go. I hope you enjoy the basket and goodies and I hope you enjoy the neighborhood and the people. I'll see you tomorrow at the barbeque!"

Edith and Susannah smiled and waved and thanked him as they led him to the door. He just continued to smile as he went out. He walked home quickly and went straight to his computer. This was around the time of night that always checked his Necropolis data base. It was an ongoing search for Necropolis related people and activities that made sure that he was never near them. After making sure that he was safe, Briar shut the computer down and made for his room.

He quickly got changed into a pair of pajamas and spent about a half an hour going through his ever enlarging mage kit and taking care of his beautiful _shakkan_. He was amazed and pleasantly surprised that his miniature tree had lived as long as he had. It had stored up an immense amount of power over the years. Speaking of power: Briar sighed and ran his fingers through his short black hair.

When he pulled his hand back and inspected it, he saw a handful of collected lightning. It really wasn't fair. Tris just stored lightening in her hair, not had her hair produce the lightning. Luckily, it wasn't as easy to see as hers had been, but it was still a bit annoying. Due to a lack of braids, the rest of her usual hair powers: winds, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, storms, waves, and volcanoes were locked into metal beads marked with their symbols and held around his neck by a leather string. It made for a stylish necklace and a whole lot of power.

Briar sighed again and plopped onto his bed. Overall today had been a good day. Hopefully tomorrow would be even better. With that thought foremost in his mind, he fell asleep.


End file.
